Easy steps to carving flowers

If you're wanting to add detail to architraves or
plinths, wood carving allows you to create your own unique designs.

27/05/2018

If you are restoring an
older home or wanting to add architectural
detail with architraves and plinths, carving
your own rosettes and floral blocks allows you
to add unique details. If you're starting out in
wood carving, using a medium-hardwood like
Meranti allows you to practice your skill, while
the more advanced wood carver can move on to
more exotic hardwoods.

CONTINUES BELOW

You're going to need to
invest in a set of wood carving chisels and a
wood mallet. Start
out with an affordable set of
Tork Craft Wood Carving Chisels priced at
R869.00 from Tools4Wood. The set
includes 12 chisels that are ideal for the wood
carving enthusiast with Ash handles and carbon
steel chisels.

You will also need to find
a nice design to work with for your wood carving
project. The Internet has almost limitless
designs to choose from and you can select an
easy design that works for you.

GOOD TO KNOW:
When starting out with wood carving,
keep it simple is the best motto to follow. Once
you have mastered a simple design it will be
easier to move up to more complicated shapes and
designs.

Transfer your chosen
design onto a square block of wood. For practice
it doesn't matter what the size of the block is,
as long as it is large enough for your shape. If
you are going to be making architraves or
plinths, the size of the block will be
determined by the size of the timber you are
using to make the architrave or plinth.

GOOD TO KNOW:
For starting out it's better to use a timber
species that isn't too hard and that doesn't
have a lot of grain. Meranti is a good choice,
but avoid using pine.

Now you're ready to begin
wood carving. Choose a suitable shape, in this
case a curved chisel, and place this in the
centre where you want to start. Hold the chisel
at an 80 to 85-degree angle and hit lightly with
you wood mallet. It is far better to hit gently
until you achieve the desired depth than run the
risk of splitting the wood by hitting too hard.

As
you remove material shift the angle of the
chisel as you work.

For the flower shape we
start in the centre and then outline the outer
edge of the flower shape.

The next step is to gouge
out the petals to give the 3-dimensional effect.
You want the centre of the flower to stand out,
so remove only enough material to achieve this,
angling the chisel for a gently slope from the
outer edge to the centre. Take the time to
smooth any rough areas with the chisel and
gentle taps with your wood mallet.

Use a straight, cutting
chisel to mark the petal segments.

Continue to lightly chip
away until your flower shape starts to take
form.

To finish off your design,
round off the edges of the centre and smooth any
remaining details. It pays to have a few blocks
that you can work with to hone your skills and
create your own unique wood carved designs.